FRIDAY, MAY 6, 1977
GOVERNOR INSPECTS PUBLIC HOUSING SLOPES
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THE GOVERNOR, SIR MURRAY MACLEHOSE, THIS AFTERNOON MADE A THREE-HOUR INSPECTION OF PUBLIC HOUSING SLOPES BEING RECONSTRUCTED AS A RESULT OF THE LANDSLIP ENQUIRY REPORT RELEASED EARLIER THIS YEAR.
SIR MURRAY SAW SLOPES IN EIGHT HOUSING AREAS IN KOWLOON AND AT TSUEN WAN. HE VISITED THE REMAINING SLOPES BEING RECONSTRUCTED UNDER THE $30 MILLION REMEDIAL PROGRAMME DURING A TOUR OF THE CHAI WAN AREA LAST WEEK.
THE GOVERNOR WAS ACCOMPANIED ON HIS TOUR TODAY BY THE DIRECTOR OF PUBLIC WORKS, MR. DAVID MCDONALD, AND P.W.D. PRINCIPAL GOVERNMENT ENGINEER MR. BRYAN O'RORKE, WHO IS IN CHARGE OF SETTING UP THE NEW OFFICE OF P.W.D. WHICH WILL ACT AS A +WATCHDOG+ OVER THE CONSTRUCTION AND MAINTENANCE OF ALL SLOPES IN HONG KONG.
THE GOVERNOR WAS TOLD THAT WORK ON THE SLOPES WAS WELL ADVANCED. MR. O'RORKE SAID THE WORK INVOLVED THE REMOVAL OF THE UPPER THREE METRES OF FILL FROM THE SLOPES, THEN REPLACING AND RECOMPACTING IT TO THE STRICT STANDARDS LAID DOWN BY THE INTERNATIONAL PANEL OF EXPERTS COMMISSIONED BY THE GOVERNMENT.
IT WAS INTENDED THAT ALL THE WORK NECESSARY TO ELIMINATE THE RISK OF MUD AVALANCHES ON THE SLOPES WOULD BE FINISHED BEFORE THE ONSET OF HEAVY RAIN.
+ACTUALLY THIS POSSIBILITY HAS ALREADY BEEN LARGELY ELIMINATED, HE SAID. NEARLY ALL THE LOOSELY-COMPACTED SURFACE MATERIAL WHICH POSED A POSSIBLE PROBLEM HAS BEEN REMOVED AND RECOMPACTING IS NOW UNDERWAY, TOGETHER WITH THE INSTALLATION OF NEW DRAINAGE SYSTEMS.
+AFTER THE REMOVAL OF THE LOOSE FILL, AS RECOMMENDED BY THE PANEL OF EXPERTS, WE ARE COVERING MUCH OF THE EXPOSED SURFACE WITH CHUNAM PLASTERING WHILE WE RECOMPACT THE REST, WORKING FROM THE BOTTOM OF THE SLOPE TO THE TOP.
+AS THE WORK-FRONT MOVES UP THE SLOPE INCLINE, WE REMOVE THE TEMPORARY CHUNAM PLASTERING TO CARRY OUT THE RECOMPACTING.+
+THIS MEANS THAT THROUGHOUT THE REMAINING STAGES OF THE EXERCISE, VIRTUALLY ALL THE SLOPE SURFACES WILL EITHER HAVE BEEN SAFELY RÉCOMPACTED OR WILL BE COVERED WITH WATERPROOF CHUNAM PLASTERING,+ MR. O'RORKE SAID. +SO UNTIL ALL THE RECOMPACTING IS COMPLETE, ONLY THE SMALL AREA OF SURFACE ACTUALLY BEING WORKED ON WILL BE EXPOSED.+
MR. O'RORKE ADDED, +IN THE VERY UNLIKELY EVENT OF OUR GETTING ABNORMALLY HEAVY RAINS OF THE TYPE ASSOCIATED WITH MUD AVALANCHES BEFORE THE NORMAL TIME AT THE HEIGHT OF THE WET SEASON, WE'LL COVER THESE EXPOSED AREAS WITH PLASTIC SHEETING TO ENSURE THERE IS NO DANGER OF MUD-AVALANCHE.+
/SIR MURRAY'S ****
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